Shadows of the sun
by BurgerBoy123
Summary: In the wake of the Kyubi attack, Orochimaru exploits the chaos to rob Konoha of its jinchuriki and builds him up to be his ultimate weapon. Several years later, Jiraiya's infiltration of one of Orochimaru's hideout leads to the restoration of the jinchuriki. Will he be the shield that defends Konoha in its greatest plight or the weapon that plunges it to its demise?
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

"Hiruzen is onto us, Orochimaru," a man said. His body was covered in white bandages. In addition, the black hair and the 'x' scar on his chin presented him as a sophisticated and fearsome man. He leaned forward on his cane and eyed silently at the man before him.

To Danzo, the man he was watching was not someone he would ordinarily consider as an ally. No. He has no allies. Only subordinates and weak superiors. His partnership with this man only stemmed out of a mutual animosity towards another: the Sandaime Hokage, who for all Danzo knew, was responsible for the recent tragedy that had befallen on Konohagakure. At this thought, Danzo squinted his eyes and grinded his teeth. The Sandaime disgusted him. The man standing before him also shared that same feeling as the Sandaime's former student. The two recently orchestrated an assassination attempt to avert the former Hokage from persuading the Daimyo to reinstate him as the Hokage of Konohagakure after the wake of the Kyubi's attack and the Yondaime's death.

"I take it that your men failed," Orochimaru replied after a couple minutes. Danzo winced at this subtly. He wishes to show no form of expression to Orochimaru. Even though he is currently working with him, Danzo still bears aversion to the Sannin. He decided not to reply.

"What has happened of Minato's boy? The jinjuuriki of the Kyubi," Orochimaru asked. He placed the scalpel down and removed his surgical gloves. Afterwards, he turned towards Danzo.

"We've located him. He's in a public orphanage. All files on him are redacted and classified. He now possesses the name of the Uzumaki clan," Danzo answered. He tried his best not to betray the uneasiness running in his gut. What does he want with Konoha's ultimate weapon? The only way to find out was to provide the information as he just did.

"I see… since the Sandaime is onto us, I propose that we should always assume his men are following us. Consequently, we should stop meeting," Orochimaru suggested. Danzo's usefulness has now been exhausted. He no longer required any further information. Any additional information could be excavated by his own men.

"Very well," Danzo whispered and turned to leave.

"Its been a pleasure working with you, Danzo-san" Orochimaru called out as the man left his hideout.

A dark figure darted across the rooftops of Konoha. Flickering here and there before finally coming to a stop.

"Danzo was right after all…" Orochimaru said as he crouched on top of a building, peering down into an open window. He could make out a woman nursing an infant with whisker marks and slightly blond hair.

Just as he was about to leave the rooftop, he detected two faint chakra sources near him. Judging by their ability to mask them, he assumed they were Anbu.

"Orochimaru, what do you want with the boy? He is under the protection of Sarutobi-sama. State your intention," one of the two masked shinobi said, their hands gripping the handles of their katana. Orochimaru smiled at this, they were terrified of him, especially after rumors have spread of his experiments.

"Well, after much consideration, I have decided it was time for me to adopt a baby," Orochimaru grinned. The two Anbu did not realize that he had already slipped away from their sight and is now behind them armed with his sword of Kusanagi. The one they are currently seeing is merely a clone.

Orochimaru drove his sword into the heart of one of the Anbu. The other one drew his sword and leapt back. However, the Sannin had already covered the distance in half a second and delivered a fatal blow with his sword.

He turned his sight back to the window and saw the room now dark and the infant sleeping.

"Kukukuku… Naruto is it?" Orochimaru said as he flickered out of the scene and arrived outside the boy's window. He opened the window and snuck in. Slowly, he picked up the baby and tied the ends of its blanket and wore it around his neck and delicately placed the child in it. He casted a mild genjutsu on the child to ensure his continuous slumber.

As Orochimaru darted across the rooftops n his path to his hideout, he picked up four more chakra sources. Soon enough, they surrounded him.

"Anbu?" He thought. "No. Root," he corrected, judging by their movement, squad positions, and lack of talking. His eyes slithered around, surveying his surroundings. He decided that the best course of action was to even the numbers.

"Shadow Clone jutsu" he whispered, holding the hand sign. Three clones poofed into existence. One of the root operatives charged at the real him. A clone intercepted him and a cacophony of kunai clashing with katana erupted. The interception left Orochimaru vulnerable from one direction since the clone abandoned its position. Another operative saw this and decided to exploit it by releasing a volley of shurikens at him. The two remaining clones moved to deflect the weapons. With his three clones now occupied, Orochimaru danced around the two Root ninjas that charged at him with katanas drawn. He summoned his sword and gracefully cut down one. The remaining operative ran through hand signs and exhaled a fire ball at him. Orochimaru grinned at this and ran through his own set of hand signs.

"Water release: Water bullet" he whispered as ejected a torrent of water. The two clashed and cancelled each other out while producing steam. Orochimaru used this as a cover to deliver two slashes at one operative. Sensing more chakra signals heading his way- likely due to the battle- he fled into the shadows of the village.

As soon as he arrived at his hideout a few miles away from the village, Orochimaru placed the boy on a table. Then he retrieved his fuinjutsu materials and laid it beside the infant.

"Interesting…" Orochimaru hissed as he viewed Yondaime Hokage's seal that stored the Kyubi inside the child. Delicately, Orochimaru started reworking it. He built two gate seals on the boy's hands and then removed some of the constraints that suppressed the Kyubi's chakra. He felt the results immediately, the boy started emitting a strong, hot aura. The whisker marks on his cheeks darkened. The nose grew sharper. The child started wailing due to this change.

"Sh… sh.. sh…" Orochimaru soothed. The child's cry slowly died down. Its eyes darted around the room. Upon seeing the boy's eyes, the Sannin was shocked. They were blazing red.

"F-Fa-Fascinating…" he stuttered. The boy was going to become the strongest weapon he will have ever had under his possession. He grinned sadistically at the thought and continued modifying the boy's seal.

After he was done, the young boy had seal prints all over his body. The boy's chakra reserves are now tapping from the Kyubi. The chakra gates he built on the hands allowed ejection of red chakra straight from the Kyubi. He also implemented two empty weapons seal on the wrists.

"Now… what am I going to call you?" Orochimaru asked playfully. A book caught his attention from the corner of his eyes. It was his former teammate's novel: The Tale of the Utterly Gutsy Shinobi.

"Kukukukuku" He chuckled. "What name is better than that of the ultimate hero to destroy Konoha with?" He started laughing manically.

"I guess I will call you… Naruto."


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

"Again," Orochimaru instructed. The blond boy raised his hands again and started channeling chakra in his palms. When enough had been charged, he released it at the eroded boulder. The beam of red chakra struck and broke it into a pile of debris. Orochimaru grinned at this.

"Four years old and capable of this much destruction," he thought. Needless to say, he was really proud at how Naruto has been progressing.

"Good job, Naruto-kun. Now demonstrate the jutsu I taught you yesterday," the Sannin instructed.

The blond boy nodded. He formed the necessary hand signs and exhaled " _Fire Release: Great Fireball jutsu_!" A large ball of flame erupted from the boy's mouth.

"Incredible!" Orochimaru thought. "One day! That's all it took for him to produce a fireball that size? No doubt he is Minato's boy. With the Kyubi's chakra, he shouldn't be fazed by the amount of chakra required to cast a jutsu that size."

"Impressive…" Orochimaru commended. "Now the two I taught you last week."

Naruto clapped his hands together and gathered the needed chakra for a brief moment. Then he extended his hands forward. " _Wind Release: Gale Palm_!" He exclaimed in a high pitched voice for effect. The wind shredded the nearby trees, even cutting down the few closest ones.

Orochimaru studied the effects of Naruto's _Wind Release: Gale Palm_ and mentally noted, "I see… I was wrong initially. I thought it was his chakra control but after training it for the previous two weeks partly in thanks to my modification of the seal, his jutsu is still this powerful. It must be the Kyubi's chakra that's amplifying them. Let's see if my theory is right with this next one."

"The other one now."

" _Lightning Release: Lightning Beast Tracking Fang_!" Naruto declared as he formed his hand signs. It was the jutsu Orochimaru had stolen from the copycat ninja Kakashi Hatake of the Sharingan. Lightning danced around Naruto's hand and faintly materialized into a shape of a hound. The blond directed the lightning hound at an erect tree. It exploded into splinters. Orochimaru grinned at this. He was right.

"Show me your taijutsu now." Orochimaru ordered. He was more than pleased with the boy. Naruto settled into his stance and started performing the moves.

The rest of the day was filled with one on one spars against several of Orochimaru's subordinates, physical conditioning, ninjutsu lessons, and history lessons, with meal breaks in the middle. Orochimaru had the boy follow this training regiment for a year.

A year had passed and five-year-old Naruto has shown Orochimaru tremendous growth. His taijutsu is great enough to hold his own against a Genin twice his age. He had collected a dozen jutsu in his arsenal with at least one in each element. The physical conditioning had carved away some of his body fat. History lessons and playing shogi with the Sannin had made him adept at utilizing strategies in fights Orochimaru pits him against some of his prisoners.

The snake Sannin observed the blond boy from his chair as Naruto currently spars against the four strongest captives. They were slightly older than him but the boy was doing well against them. The Kyubi had enhanced his senses, instincts, and physical capabilities, making up for the boy's size disadvantage.

Naruto weaved through a kick and delivered a counter kick at the pivoting leg. One of the boys he was fighting fell. Meanwhile, he sensed a girl coming from behind him and ducked to evade the punch. The blond crouched and delivered a spin kick at the girl's shins. The kick tripped her. Naruto noticed two more boys with one each coming at him from a side. He dashed towards one and leapt. He put his feet together and threw a kick with both of his foot at one of the boys' chest. Using the body as a springboard, Naruto launched himself into the air, did a one eighty-degree flip, and sent a spin kick at the other's face. The girl who had came up from behind him spun her body and threw a heel kick at the descending blond's chin. Naruto slapped her kick to the side but she followed it up with another spin kick that crashed into his side. The crimson-eyed blond curled up into a ball and used the momentum to side roll. However, one of the boys aimed a kick at his head just as he broke the dying momentum. Naruto barely dodged it by leaning back. He sensed another kick from behind him but couldn't react fast enough to evade it. The kick sent him flying forward. Naruto attempted to get up but the four he had been sparring against had already closed the distance on him. He quickly embraced for a beating.

"Enough" Orochimaru declared. "Ten minutes and thirty-three seconds, Naruto-kun. That's quite an achievement now. A whole two minutes' improvement from last week."

"I am not fast enough, Orochimaru-sama," Naruto stated. He could sense them but couldn't react fast enough.

"You are still young, Naruto-kun," Orochimaru replied. His eyes turned to the four captives that are currently kneeling before him. "You four are dismissed." They marched out of the training room.

"Where are those other children going?" Naruto asked. He had become more and more inquisitive with age.

"Back to their rooms," Orochimaru answered dryly. The boy has progressed much more than he had originally anticipated. By the time he reached his teens, he could easily be an S-rank shinobi if the boy continues working hard under his tutelage. Naruto was a hard worker and a talented shinobi. He spends most of his time in the training room, rarely associating with others. While this is favorable towards the Sannin, it did not allow him much to understand what goes on in the boy's head.

"Continue working on your chakra shape manipulation," the Sannin instructed as he left the room. Naruto nodded, grabbed a stone, and started molding chakra to slice it in half.

A couple hours into his attempt, the stone in Naruto's hand was marred by cracks and shallow cuts. He threw the rock in frustration.

"Heh. The wonder boy is frustrated. That's new," a girl said. She was one of the four Naruto had sparred against earlier. Her dark pink hair flowed down to just before her shoulders. She was wearing Orochimaru's standard captive uniform: a plain yellow dress that went down to her mid thighs, black pants, completed with black sandals.

"What are you doing here?" Naruto asked, suspiciously. They couldn't leave their rooms without Orochimaru's say so. The blond considered the prospect of the snake Sannin permitting them to use the training facility but why would he do such a thing.

"I was bored so I thought I would come here," she replied, walking around the blond.

Naruto started studying the girl. Before, she was merely a meat bag he had to avoid being beaten by at the same time dealing as much damage as possible. This, however, is a different situation. He deduced that she was one to two years older than him by the height discrepancy. She was two inches taller than her. Naruto contemplated the possibility of this girl trying to kill him out of vengeance after the recent injuries she had sustained from him. He subtly shifted into his fighting stance while adrenaline started flooding into his system.

"What's your name?" The girl asked. She had stopped wandering around the training room and now turned and approached Naruto.

"Naruto," the boy replied.

"That's a rather… odd name…" she replied. "I am Tayuya!"

Naruto slowly eased from his stance but still prepared himself in case. "Why is she here?" Naruto wondered. He didn't like the idea of one of Orochimaru's properties waltzing around the place. Perhaps this is a test and he will have to kill her or at least immobilize her to prove his loyalty. His mind was replete with possibilities about the purpose of this whole situation regarding the girl.

"Hello? Earth to Naruto? You there?" She asked, noticing the boy deep in his thoughts. Naruto's eyes followed her. She laid down nearby and stretched her body.

"So what do you do here for fun?" Tayuya asked.

"What do you mean?" He asked, bewildered.

"I mean what do you do besides training and reading all day?"

"Um… I eat. I sleep. I…" He replied.

"No. No. No. I mean. What is something you enjoy doing?" She interrupted.

Naruto replied with a puzzled look. He didn't understand what she meant. Training, practicing, and reading was really all he did besides his bodily essentials. This has been how it had been for as far as he could remember. Was he missing out on something?

"Do you like training then?" Tayuya approached from a different angle.

"I don't know. I don't hate it. I like getting stronger." This girl's questions are giving him headaches. He had never stopped to think about any of these questions. New inquiries arise in his mind upon his consideration. Why was he here? Why was he treated differently from the other children? Where does Orochimaru-sama do everyday when he's not supervising his training?

"Why do you want to be strong, Naruto-kun?" Tayuya inquired. This boy before her was certainly odd. It's as if he was being bred as a living weapon. He doesn't talk to anyone. All he does is train to get stronger. But for what? That's what she wondered.

"I haven't given it much thought…" He whispered, looking down. He was starting to question his life. Then he looked up with some resolve, "Orochimaru-sama wants me to and I won't disappoint him."

"I see…" Tayuya replied. She sat up and hugged her knees. "How did you two meet?"

"I don't know. I never asked him. But I remember him for as far as I can." Naruto also wondered the same. Did Orochimaru-sama perhaps create him?

"So he must be your father then. But you two look quite different though," Tayuya joyfully commented. The pink haired girl turned to look at Naruto and smiled.

There was a moment of silence. Naruto broke it and asked, "What… what is a father?" He looked down at his feet.

Tayuya was stunned at this question. She didn't know if the blond was being sarcastic or he really did not know what 'father' meant. The expression on his face suggested the latter. She gathered some time to answer the question.

"You see, for a baby to be born, a man and a woman are needed. The two together takes care of the baby. The man is the father of the baby and the woman, the mother," Tayuya explained. She hoped that her answer was sufficient. Naruto continued looking at his feet.

"Who are your father and mother then?" Naruto asked. His red eyes met her brown ones.

"They died when I was young. Orochimaru-sama found me wondering the woods searching for food. He took me back here and saved me." Tayuya's face expressed sorrow. Naruto could feel that. He didn't know how to approach regarding her emotion. Furthermore, he had a lot of questions he needed answers to such as who his parents were.

"Back? Do you mean to tell me that this place is not all there is?" Tayuya was taken back by his question. It was more than astonishing to her about the mystery that shrouds this boy. What is he? Why is he so sheltered and hidden?

Tayuya noticed Orochimaru at the doorway and knelt. "Orochimaru-sama," she greeted.

"Tayuya, you may return to your room," he said. She nodded.

"It was nice talking to you, Naruto-kun," Tayuya whispered as she walked out.

"How has your training been going?" Orochimaru inquired. He was ecstatic in what he had just heard. There was no way to know about the boy's loyalty or what went on in his mind. Asking the boy would just result in the blond telling him what he already wanted to hear. His scheme regarding Tayuya had revealed exactly what he wanted to know. The boy wanted to be stronger for him and that was incredible. However, Naruto had not thought of the topics Tayuya had introduced him into. The Sannin had no doubt that the boy would start pondering on them. He needed to know what the boy would resolve in. He decided to have Tayuya visit him everyday to further understand what and how the boy is thinking.

"Orochimaru-sama. Are you my father?" Naruto asked after a couple minutes of silence. His question had taken the snake Sannin by surprise and interrupted his thought.

The Sannin deliberated the best way to approach this. Two answers are possible, he thought, 'yes' or 'no'. 'No' would lead to further questions by the boy and possibly disrupt the boy's unwavering loyalty for him. 'Yes', on the other hand, would further solidify the boy's tie to him, albeit it being a lie. He decided that the best course of action to take would be answering 'yes'.

"Why do you ask, Naruto-kun?" Orochimaru decided to delve a little deeper into the boy's intention.

"Tayuya-san just explained what a father is to me. She said a father takes care of his child. You take care of me. Are you my father then?" Naruto replied, curious.

"I take care of you. I teach you how to fight. In fact, you are as talented as I am, Naruto-kun," Orochimaru responded. "Yes. I am your father."

Naruto grinned at this. At least one of his questions was now answered.

Orochimaru grinned alongside Naruto although it was for a different reason. The boy did not question his answer. Why would he? Now his ultimate weapon is under his full control. He decided to plan the next step.

"Go along, Naruto-kun. Your training is still not done." Naruto nodded obediently and resumed his chakra manipulation exercise.

October ten, exactly seven years have passed since the Kyubi attack, the death of the Yondaime Hokage, and the birth of his son. Sarutobi sighed; being a Hokage had revived the aching and sores. The man had seen better days. His grey hair and beard reflected that. He was enveloped in the formal red and white Hokage attire.

"Sarutobi-sensei. I have urgent news," a man said. His spiky white hair flowed down to his waist. He donned a red haori with two yellow spots on the sides. Underneath, he donned a matching attire of green short kimono shirt and pants. His forehead protector read "oil".

"Eh? What is it?" He inhaled his pipe deeply as he waited for Jiraiya to respond.

"It's about the boy," Jiraiya responded.

The Hokage knew exactly who Jiraiya was talking about and to whom the information going to be revealed was accessible to. "Give us some privacy," he instructed.

Upon no longer detecting any chakra source in the nearby vicinity, Jiraiya spoke, "I have located Minato's boy. Orochimaru would never leave such a source of great power without his direct supervision for long. My contacts reveal that they have traced him to a hideout in Sound country. It should be about two days worth of travel. However, it should take me about a week to figure out the exact location."

Sarutobi took another long drag of his pipe and exhaled. He had failed the Yondaime Hokage when he allowed the blond to lose his life and that of his wife during the attack of the Kyubi. He failed him further when he allowed his former power hungry student to snatch the Yondaime's son right under his nose. He wasn't going to fail him this time. He processed the information and strategized the best way to succeed.

"You are sure of this?"

"As sure as I can be. I wasn't there when Minato-kun gave his life to protect the village. But I will be there to save his legacy from being used against the very village he died fighting for!" Jiraiya was adamant about this. One of his greatest regret was being away from the village when the Kyubi's attack transpired. He visits the thought everyday that had he been there, Minato-kun would still be alive. He will bring back the boy. He had to. It was the least he could do to honor his dear student.

"This will be covert operation that will not be revealed until its been deemed as successful. I will have my few hand picked ANBU infiltrate this hideout alongside you." The Sandaime Hokage flared his chakra slightly to summon all the ANBU directly under his command. Six of them flickered in arrival kneeling before him. Among the six was a silver haired operative with a dog mask. He seemed to be the youngest of the group. Jiraiya reserved his guess to himself regarding this man assuming 'man' was the correct term for a person of his age.

"I will be assigning you six on an S-rank mission that could easily elevate. You will be under the command of Jiraiya-san. Your primary mission is to infiltrate Orochimaru's hideout and retrieve Yondaime Hokage's son also known as the jinjuriki of the Kyubi. He should possess blond hair, whisker marks, and should be about seven years of age. Your secondary mission is to remove the threat of the Sannin called as Orochimaru. You will depart immediately. Dismissed." Instantly, the six ANBU and Jiraiya disappeared from the Hokage tower.

"Minato-kun. If you are watching, please help us retrieve your son and guide him from dark clutch of Orochimaru and into the light of Konoha," Sarutobi prayed. This was a one time chance that he cannot afford losing.

Naruto jolted awake. Something felt off. He detected a foreign presence near him. His senses were screaming 'watch out'. His eyes opened in shock as his ears picked up a whistling sound that is usually produced when a kunai slices through air. He quickly casted a _Substiution jutsu_ to avoid it. He quickly studied where the kunai had embedded itself onto the chair that he swapped with. That would have been his neck. His assailant was aiming to kill.

Naruto was quickly kept on his feet when he barely managed to duck to evade a kick aimed for his head. He blocked two follow up roundhouse kicks with his forearms and started pressing aggressively on the attacker. Even though it was pitch black, his enhanced eyes made up for it. The assailant was wearing a forehead protector that associated him with Konohagakure. The standard green Jonin vest and black pants further ossified that association. The blond decided that the only piece of information that was crucial to him is the fact that this man was a Jonin.

The blond weaved through the man's punches by exploiting the size difference and delivered a drop kick at the chest to create some space. They sprung off in opposite directions and created a dozen feet difference of space. That was all Naruto needed. He dropped to a knee and raised his hands with arms extended. Red chakra burst from his palms and struck the Jonin in the chest.

Just when Naruto thought the fight was over, smoke poofed and revealed that a _Substitution jutsu_ had been casted. The chair that the man had used was completed obliterated by Naruto. The Jonin exploited Naruto's temporary moment of surprise to land a roundhouse kick that struck the boy's head. He further used the blond's dizziness to land a fatal blow with a kunai. However, Naruto rolled side ways as the Jonin lunged forward. The fatal blow ended up being a cut across the boy's thigh.

" _Fire Release: Great Fireball jutsu_!" The Jonin exclaimed as he exhaled a giant flame to engulf Naruto.

" _Earth Release: Hiding like a mole jutsu_!" Naruto casted, swiftly just in time to escape the flame. As soon as the flame died out, the Jonin approached where Naruto had just been to finish the job only to find him missing. He had little time to react when Naruto's hand gripped on his ankle and pulled him into the ground, imprisoning him.

"Who are you?" Naruto questioned. He wanted to know why he was just attacked. The Jonin didn't reply. "I despise you Konoha shinobi. Why are you here?!" Naruto decided that he had to force the truth out of him.

After a short session of torture, the Jonin spurted "Orochimaru-sama sent me! I don't know why. Please stop. That is all I know." Naruto was too shocked to believe the man.

"I don't believe you for one second. Orochimaru-sama is my father! Why would he do such a thing?" Naruto sliced off the man's remaining ear.

"Hehehehehehe. You are this son? Pft." He spat. "He is just using you… just like he just used me."

"Lies! Why would Orochimaru-sama use a Konoha shinobi?" Naruto questioned. It didn't make any sense.

"I am not a Konoha shinobi! I am an Oto shinobi. He ordered me to kill you dressed as Konoha's man." The man replied bitterly. Naruto drove the man's kunai into his skull in anger. He threw himself onto his bed and returned to his slumber.

Orochimaru had witnessed the whole scene unfold through his surveillance system. The whole point of him putting one of his man up to kill Naruto was for the boy to despise Konoha further, test how he would fare against a Jonin, and to finally have immersed himself in the blood of his enemies. The Sannin hadn't expected the boy to interrogate the man. He didn't worry about the truth being spilled by the man. For the past few years, he had been allowing Tayuya to meet and talk with the blond on a daily basis. This had forged an unusual friendship perhaps more between the two, which is evident in the frequent spars Orochimaru puts Naruto in. The blond had been seen pulling his punches and kicks when it came to the pink haired girl. Orochimaru controlled Tayuya and Tayuya exerts a strong influence on the blond. Whatever doubt the boy may harbor of him will be washed away by Tayuya's word.

"Watch how Naruto is feeling in the morning. I will be leaving for Water country," Orochimaru said. He departed his chambers.

"This is the place," Jiraiya announced in a hush voice. The six ANBU accompanying him dropped down from the trees and knelt beside him.

"You all know the mission. The boy is our main goal. Everyone here knows the plan right? We will travel in groups of two. All threats shall be rendered unconscious unless they are in a position to jeopardize the mission. In that case, they are to be killed. Understood?" Jiraiya said. The six operatives nodded and together, they darted towards the entrance. The Toad Sage had never been this serious since the Second Shinobi war when Tsunade, Orochimaru, and he faced off against Amegakure's Hanzo.

"Minato-kun… rest in peace now. Your son is going to be in safe hands," Jiraiya whispered.

 **Author's Note: Hey guys! Its been a while (5 years) since I wrote an actual fanfic story. I want to know if you guys like it or not. Reviews, feedback, etc will be appreciated. Also for Naruto's pairing I am strongly leaning towards Tayuya but am also considering strongly Temari and Ino in that order. Let me know what you guys think! I apologize for my grammar by the way.**


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Kakashi Hatake was known and feared for his cold blood, even by his fellow comrades in the ANBU division organization. His capability to cut down masses of enemies with seeming nonchalance made him a renowned shinobi in most countries. The white-silver hair that defied gravity and excellent mastery over the lightning element became the two traits that his enemies identified him by: that is if they prevailed against the slim odds of surviving against him. He never played around with his foes with flashy brawls. Instead, he prefers the much more efficient and strategized lethal strikes; he was no ordinary canine: he was a wolf- a beast that goes straight for the jugular. This was exactly what the Oto shinobi saw as the Copycat ninja sliced them up. He didn't want to take any chances since the stakes were too high. This was about retrieving his sensei's son.

The Copycat ninja proceeded to make his way through one of the many corridors with his partner. They had _Shadow Clones_ scanning others to cover more area faster. They had encountered dozens of kids on their way. While he was a stone cold killer, he wasn't ruthless enough to kill children. He wondered what the snake Sannin would need with this amount of children. Kakashi thought about the prospect of training up a generation of weapons loyal to him only but the way they were dressed and appeared dismissed that possibility. He decided to erase his train of thought and refocused on his mission.

Naruto panted heavily. Focusing a lot of chakra to form a thin blade around his hand and maintaining the shape was very exhausting for him. He could successfully manipulate the shape but he had trouble maintaining it for more than several seconds. It would always burst out of control and blow him to the side. This was the hardest jutsu he had yet to master. It had taken him over a week already.

"Maybe I should focus on maintaining it rather than focusing on molding the chakra as well," he wondered aloud. He decided to hold one hand sign with a hand as he focuses on maintaining it.

" _Wind Release: Blade of wind jutsu_ ," Naruto whispered as he inhaled deeply. He held a hand sign to help share the burden of molding chakra and shaping it as he directed his attention to maintenance. The blade threatened to burst of control several times but Naruto fought hard to control it. After a couple minutes, he released the jutsu. He was ecstatic. He couldn't wait to tell Tayuya about it. He's never been this happy before. Scratch that. He's never been happy before. However, mastering this jutsu had him grinning from cheek to cheek.

"Oh right. I have to test it," he remembered. He summoned his wind blade again and stabilized it. The blond walked over to a rock dummy and performed a vertical slice. At first, there was no visible effect. However, after three seconds, the sides of the dummy fell to the sides. Naruto pumped his hand into the air: something he had never done before but felt natural. He just had to tell Tayuya about it. He couldn't wait. The blond decided to make his way to her room.

For the past three years, he had developed a strong liking to the pink-haired girl. She was brash, loud, outspoken, mischievous, and occasionally made crude jokes that made the blond smile. He, on the other hand, was reserved, calculating, and proper. She was everything he was not and he found that very hard to be not attracted to.

Tayuya had made a habit of calling him a 'midget' even though he had outgrown her in height now. He didn't mind her calling that. He felt a sense of endearment to her whenever the word left her mouth.

Ever since a year ago when Tayuya and three other her age had survived from a free for all brawl to the death comprised of several dozen, she had been blessed with more freedom and tutelage as shinobi under his father. They spend a lot of free time together, which Orochimaru-sama didn't seem to mind. She told him stories that her parents had told her when she was a child. She taught him the small bits she knew about socializing and the way people in general think. They were inseparable.

She also included the blond in many of her pranks that targeted her fellow students: Jirobo, Sakon and Ukkon, and Kidomaru. She once scattered spiders on Sakon/Ukon's bed since the boy/boys held a strong repugnance towards spiders. When he climbed into bed that night, the tickling sensation of spiders crawling across his skin irritated to no end. After he finally figured out what the irritation was caused by, he stomped over to Kidomaru's room and started beating on him. Tayuya had told Naruto that Sakon was the hastiest of the group. She and Naruto watched eagerly from the shadows as Sakon took out his anger on Kidomaru. Another one of her infamous pranks was lacing Jirobo's food with a sleeping agent. The boy was a glutton; he loved to eat. After eating several sticks of the tempered fish balls, the boy was knocked out. Tayuya used this time to draw on the boy's face to subject the calm-headed boy to humiliation.

After Naruto had fought the Konoha Jonin and was greatly affected by what he had said, it was Tayuya who calmed him down and wiped the doubt from his mind. With every passing day, her importance to him grew.

Naruto made his way over to Tayuya's room and found her knocked out on the floor. She was holding a kunai in her hand. His joy was quickly killed by his vigilance. She must have been attacked. His eyes widened as he detected an unusual chakra signal. No. Two very, very faint unfamiliar chakra sources coming his way. He estimated that they would arrive at the training room in about thirty seconds. He unsheathed the sword Orochimaru had gifted him. It was short compared to others with about a little over a feet and a half in length with the single-handed blade taking up about four inches. One of its great properties was the ability to maintain the elemental chakra in the shape the swordsman had initially fashioned. Naruto started imbuing the sword with wind chakra as he ran towards the training room, prepared to face-off against the intruders.

Itachi Uchiha was hailed as the genius of the Uchiha clan. He was only twelve and already a member of the ANBU black ops but geniuses were common in his line of work. His captain and current mission partner, Kakashi Hatake, was barely seventeen when he took over as captain of Team Ro. One of the things Itachi enjoyed about the ANBU was their lack of interest in age. Usually, people made a huge fuss about him regarding his age; some were degrading while others were awe. There was no such hassle in the ANBU; if you are one of us, you must be a well-skilled shinobi who knows what they have to do.

The Uchiha prodigy's eyes widened in astonishment as he detected a person charging up at them with incredible speed. He barely managed to sidestep the vertical chop that would have split him in half. His attacker wasn't done yet. Itachi was quickly forced on the defense as a barrage of slashes, thrusts, and kicks blurred and threatened to fatally wound him. If it wasn't for his Sharingan, he wouldn't be able to keep up.

Itachi parried his attacker's strike with his own sword and kicked him away to create space. His assailant was young: really, really young. His red eyes blazed at Itachi; the dark whisker marks offered the boy a feral look. The boy seemed to be of similar age as his brother, Sasuke: seven. Yet, this boy was already as fast as he was and well trained in kenjutsu. The boy ran at him again but this time, Kakashi intercepted him. The two's swords clashed and erupted in a cacophony of steel striking steel. Itachi summoned a raven to inform Jiraiya-sama and the rest of his team of the boy; every passing second decreased the possibility of the mission's success.

Kakashi was surprised by this boy's capabilities. When he watched him take on Itachi and saw him overwhelming the Uchiha, Kakashi was impressed. But that feeling was nothing compared to what he was experiencing as he battled the boy first hand. Whatever Orochimaru did, this boy was a monster as a shinobi. No one in his ANBU career had ever been a match for him until this seven year old boy. He was in relief that Jiraiya-sama had discovered him at this stage; A few more years and the boy that was to protect Konoha would be the village's very demise.

The Copycat ninja leapt back to avoid a forward thrust by the boy. He thought he was out of harm's way when pain shot through his body from his thigh. Kakashi jumped back as Itachi came to his aid. He analyzed his wound and studied the boy's sword. He carefully watched and noticed the peculiarity of the air that surrounded the boy's blade. Elemental chakra manipulation, he thought. "Such talent…" Kakashi whispered as he observed Itachi and the boy weaving through and blocking each other's strikes and slashes.

Naruto was frustrated. It has been several minutes and he was no closer to finishing the fight than when he first started with the exception of the wound he managed to inflict on the silver haired ANBU. The two worked great together; one would come to the other's aid when he was in trouble. After every turn they switched, they adjust slightly better to his kenjutsu style. The silver haired one was probably Kakashi Hatake, the Copycat ninja, of the bingo book. This means that whenever the man was watching him fight, his Sharingan allows him to study his fighting style as a whole. As for the younger ANBU with black hair, Naruto guessed that it must be Itachi Uchiha- who Orochimaru-sama had shown interest in- since the seemingly unpredictability of the blond's fighting style could only be studied by someone with a Sharingan. Naruto decided that he had to take it up a notch.

The blond parried the Uchiha's thrust and directed his non-sword hand at him. Red chakra fired and took the ANBU by surprise, scorching the body armor. Itachi's body skidded several meters away. Naruto was quickly forced to defend as Kakashi came at him again. The Copycat ninja pressed his attack harder and faster, not allowing the boy to have a window of opportunity to blast chakra. However, the opportunity cost of more aggressive offense was the defense as Kakashi began to sustain shallow cuts all over his body.

Itachi, now standing from Naruto's chakra blast, began to replace Kakashi's place. The Copycat ninja decided to end the fight. He quickly ran through the hand signs of a jutsu he had stolen from a shinobi in Kirigakure. Itachi noticed this and backed off to create a gap.

" _Water Prison jutsu_ " he called out as the blue chakra manifested into water and trapped the boy inside. The blond struggled to break free from Kakashi's hold and almost succeeded if Itachi hadn't used his Sharingan to place a strong genjutsu on the boy.

Five bodies flickered into the scene. They were Jiraiya and the rest of Team Ro. Kakashi released his jutsu and one of the ANBU with a larger stature swung the boy on his shoulder. The seven proceeded to exit the hideout.

Orochimaru and four of his escorting shinobi leapt down from the trees as they were close to the hideout now. With them were half a dozen unconscious children. The mission to Water country was very successful. He had with him several survivors of the Bloodline massacre that would be crucial to his experiments. His grin was masked by the shadow casted on his face.

They had arrived at the entrance when Orochimaru felt something amiss. He couldn't put his finger on what it was; he decided that he had to find out the hard way. The group entered and within several minutes, Orochimaru realized exactly what it was. He sensed intruders heading towards he and his group. They were of Konoha. He recognized some of the chakra sources; they were of Jiraiya, Itachi, and Naruto. Orochimaru's eyes widened and he grinded his teeth in anger. They had found and kidnapped the boy. Quickly motioning his shinobi to prepare themselves, Orochimaru summoned his sword.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here, Jiraiya?" Orochimaru hissed. He was trying to buy as much time as possible to formulate a plan. He knew for sure that his men were no match for the ANBU operatives Jiraiya had with him.

Blood splattered the walls as the ANBU sliced through the Oto shinobi with ease. It was just the snake Sannin now against seven of Konoha's finest. Retrieving Naruto is out of the question; he wasn't even sure if he would get out alive.

" _Fire Release: Great Fireball jutsu_." Orochimaru sidestepped out of flame's path and found himself in another perilous position. Kakashi Hatake had lunged forward with his infamous _Chidori_ that was aimed at the Sannin's heart. Kakashi's hand met flesh and blood spurted out. Orochimaru's face expressed pain and slowly contorted to a sadistic laugh. Color slowly left the body with only a white shell remaining. Kakashi quickly drew his hand back. The Sannin had evaded his attack by shedding his skin.

"Kakashi, Itachi stay with me. The rest of you head back to Konoha," Jiraiya ordered. Four of the ANBU sprinted towards the exit. Orochimaru didn't like his odds. While he didn't like admitting it, Jiraiya and him were of equal strength. Now, there were two other powerful shinobi to aid the Toad Sage. Things weren't going to go well. He considered his options. If he fights, he will most likely lose and die. He couldn't run either. Kakashi Hatake was a prominent sensory ninja especially with his dog summons. Orochimaru fisted his hands in frustration. He pondered for a brief moment and made his decision.

" _Summoning Jutsu!_ " He exclaimed as he bit his thumb, ran through hand signs, and placed his palm on the ground. His hideout's tunnel collapsed as a gigantic purple snake appeared.

Jiraiya followed up with his own _Summoning Jutsu_. A red toad slightly smaller than the snake emerged. It possessed a katana of his proportion.

"Gamabunta…" the snake hissed.

"Manda…" the toad grunted.

"You better have prepared sacrifices for me, Orochimaru," Manda said. Orochimaru didn't reply. His attention was on getting out alive.

"Ready to be beaten again?" Gamabunta asked.

"You've never beaten me before," Manda replied. He had never beaten the toad chief ever since Orochimaru had summoned him against Jiraiya and Gamabunta.

"I would have if you stop slithering back to whatever whole you came from," Gamabunta retorted, drawing his blade. Manda grimaced at this; the toad was right.

Meanwhile, Kakashi and Itachi climbed up the toad's limbs and joined Jiraiya on the top of the head.

"What did you do to Naruto?" Jiraiya yelled. From the glimpse of the fight between Naruto and the two ANBU, Jiraiya knew that the boy was incredibly strong and dangerous.

"Kukukukuku. Something you are too weak and stupid to understand. I improved him. I taught him. I made him who he should be, what he should be," Orochimaru spat.

"He is just a boy. Just seven… and you are making him a weapon!" Jiraiya was furious. Orochimaru's inhumane atrocities had to come to an end and that end is tonight.

"Boohoo. Cry me a river don't you, Jiraiya." Jiraiya squinted his eyes and decided to stop talking.

Manda sprang at Gamabunta who leapt away to dodge the strike. The toad brought down his sword to chop the snake's head in half but the snake rapidly slithered forward to dodge it. As soon as Gamabunta's feet touched the ground, the snake attempted to wrap itself around the toad. However, the threat of the katana deterred the serpent's attack. Gamabunta lunged at the snake with his katana but the snake slipped past it and tried to land a fang strike at the toad's side. However, the toad reacted in time and kicked the snake away.

"Let's light him up now, Jiraiya," Gamabunta suggested.

Jiraiya ran through his hand signs and exhaled " _Fire Release: Great Fireball jutsu_!". The flame came in contact with the oil the toad chief ejected from his mouth and erupted into a great conflagration that enveloped the snake. Orochimaru leapt off in time to escape certain death. Manda fled in a puff of smoke to nurse his wounds.

As Orochimaru was descending in the air, Jiraiya and the two ANBU jumped off the toad to engage the snake Sannin. Jiraiya started powering up a _Rasengan_ mid air and ordered Kakashi to throw him. The Copycat ninja grabbed the Sannin by his ankles and twisted several times before releasing. Jiraiya's speed allowed him to hit Orochimaru in the chest with his jutsu. The snake Sannin was blasted several meters away before he was stopped by a pile of debris.

He saw Kakashi Hatake armed with a _Chidori_ coming at him and decided to use the rubble to escape. The Sannin had never used two _Body Replacement jutsu_ in such a small time gap but this situation was calling for it. He quickly shed his skin and erased his previous scent before tunneling through the debris to escape.

Kakashi drove his _Chidori_ blindly hoping to clip the fleeing Orochimaru but all it did was meet more rubble. He thought about summoning his dogs but Orochimaru's scent ended at the shed skin. He assumed that the Sannin had rid himself of the scent the Copycat ninja was familiar with.

"He's gone," Jiraiya declared. "Let's meet up with the rest of the team." The three departed from the scene.


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

"Inoichi-san, what did you manage to find?" The Sandaime Hokage was extremely worried. When Team Ro brought back the boy, the man could smell Orochimaru's touch all over him. The whisker marks were much more prominent than he had anticipated. The boy's natural born blue eyes were now replaced with the much more hostile looking red ones. The shape of his nose further gave the boy the feral look. Sarutobi feared how much influence the snake Sannin exerts onto the boy. Itachi and Kakashi had debriefed to him that the boy was extremely skilled. A rough estimation puts him at a low to mid Jonin rank at least at the tender age of seven. Orochimaru must have been breeding him as a weapon to destroy Konoha.

"I don't even know where to begin. First of all, there are no mental securities I encountered in the boy's mind. That's probably because of his unconscious state due to Itachi's genjutsu. The earliest memory I could access was him accidentally flaring his chakra at about age one. The chakra spike killed his caretaker, Hokage-sama" Inoichi, the head of the Yamanaka clan reported.

Sarutobi sighed at this and motioned for the blond to continue.

"I saw Orochimaru performing some experiments on him but the boy was too young to comprehend what exactly was going on," Jiraiya grunted at this. Inoichi resumed, "Orochimaru began training him after the boy could run proficiently. He started out with basic taijutsu. At the age of three, the boy was as fast as most Chunins. A little into his fourth age, he began ninjutsu training. He started out with pulsing red chakra from his palms then chakra control exercises and eventually elemental ninjutsu. His everyday schedule was basically taijutsu sparring, ninjutsu practice, strategy lessons with Orochimaru, and kenjutsu practice. He started his elemental shape manipulation training a few months after his seventh birthday."

"I see," The Hokage acknowledged. He looked at the Yamanka clan head and noted the man's uneasiness. "Inoichi, is everything alright?"

"He's just a kid… He's as old as my daughter, Ino. This shouldn't be his childhood. He should be playing with other people his age instead of training himself to be the ultimate weapon. He barely had any friends. The only one he talked to was this pink haired girl, Tayuya. Fucking Orochimaru. This is too inhumane. He managed to convince the boy that he is his father!" Inoichi replied in anger.

Sarutobi inhaled the tobacco deeply and let it all out in a sigh of exasperation. He was deep in thought. If the boy thought Orochimaru was his father, then its going to be a lot harder to release him from the Sannin's grip. The boy had to know about his true heritage if the Yondaime's legacy were to be returned. Furthermore, there were more issues to be addressed such as Danzo. If that man finds out about this kid, then he will surely brainwash him and turn him into an emotionless weapon. Sarutobi pinched the bridge of his nose in contemplation. He decided to put off his decision on what to do with the boy until further information.

"Jiraiya-kun, what is your analysis of his seal?"

"Orochimaru tempered with it for sure but the bastard didn't realize the side effects of it. The eye color, the nose, the whiskers, etc are all effects of the Kyubi's chakra manifesting itself with the boy. This also means that the boy's chakra and that of the Kyubi have merged. Honestly, I don't know how Orochimaru managed to suppress the Kyubi. I also suspect that it also enhanced him physically as well. The boy's speed and strength should be off the charts. Furthermore, Orochimaru had build chakra gates at the boy's palms. This means the boy can easily blast chakra as Itachi had experienced first hand," Jiraiya listed. This was one of the few times when he was actually really serious about his analysis.

"Itachi-kun, you had told me that the chakra burned your armor. Do you think that the boy's chakra has trace hints of elemental chakra?" Sarutobi had all of Team Ro and the select few he could trust in the room. He didn't enjoy using the codenames of Team Ro's operatives. He didn't want them to think of themselves as weapons.

"I can say for sure that the chakra wasn't pure. However, I do know for sure that the chakra didn't contain ordinary fire. Our ANBU body armor contain seals that make them somewhat fire resistant and yet, the boy's blast tore through them with relative ease. The seal wasn't broken at all. I am not a fuinjutsu master so I cannot say for sure." Itachi was curious about the boy. He was the same age as his brother and he could already hold his own against him. Itachi held his own reservations about the boy: he is either going to be Konoha's ultimate defense or the fire that will raze it to the ground. Either way, the Uchiha decided that he will be keeping a close eye on him.

"Yugao-san, the results of the DNA test please," Sarutobi requested politely when he saw the purple haired kunoichi raising her arm up to signify that she was done with the task he had entrusted her with. Since they had arrived, Sarutobi instructed a DNA test be performed immediately since it was very habitual of his student to perform inhumane experiments on anyone he could get his hands on.

"This is rather shocking. Parental tests show that he is the son of Kushina Uzumaki and Minato Namikaze." At this, there were several widened pairs of eyes. They had known that the two shinobi had been dating until their deaths but the news of them having a child had completely evaded their ears. "That is not the most surprising part. There must be some mistake. Its probably the system's error or something but the boy's DNA shows strong identification with that of Hashirama Senju: the Shodaime Hokage."

"So you are telling me that this boy possesses the blood of not just one previous Hokage but two?" Inoichi was astonished by the secrets this boy harbored. Yugao nodded at him in response. "I didn't see anything about him using the Shodaime's renowned _Wood Release_. Either Orochimaru suppressed them or that the boy hasn't learned how to use it yet."

"Maybe he never will." Sarutobi commented. The Shodaime's _Wood Release_ technique was never possessed by any other Senju in his clan. The only other person he knew that was known to be capable of performing the Shodaime's jutsus was Yamato, who was one of the members of Team Ro. Even then, he was only able to do so because Orochimaru incorporated Hashirama Senju's DNA with his.

"So basically, this boy has the capabilities of an A rank shinobi, houses the Kyubi, son of the Yondaime Hokage and the previous host of the Kyubi, sole survivor of the Uzumaki clan, and possesses the Shodaime Hokage's DNA." Shikaku Nara had been silent for the majority of the unconventional meeting. He didn't speak when he wasn't required to. The current situation called for his viewpoint. The rest of the people in the room looked at him, waiting for him to continue; it was unlike Shikaku Nara to merely make a statement without a following point. The man crossed his arms together and continued, "we have two issues that go hand in hand to address. The first issue is his ties with Orochimaru and breaking it. The second issue is to enter him into the Konoha shinobi system to cement his position here."

"What do you suggest then, Shikaku-san?" Sarutobi asked. He always valued the input of the Nara clan head. His extraordinary strategic talent alongside unparalleled logic was one of the reasons why Konoha prevailed in the previous Great Shinobi war.

"Inoichi-kun told us about how Orochimaru has managed to convince the boy that he is his father. No matter how hard we try, we cannot fight a boy's tie to his parent, even if its only in the boy's head. I suggest that we inform the boy of his true heritage soon and actually convince him of this. Inoichi-kun could even go as far as plant a seed in the boy's head that Orochimaru isn't his father and that Minato-kun is. As for the second issue, when the boy is enrolled into the academy, I will have my son, Shikamaru-kun, befriend him. There is no stronger way to solidify the boy's loyalty to this village than through true friendship." Shikaku didn't express his fury at Orochimaru for doing such a thing to a boy so young. Inoichi had basically said all the things that he felt. He knew that with friends to protect, the boy's loyalty will sway towards them.

"I will tell my Ino-chan the same thing," Inoichi commented. The boy could still be saved and he didn't want something as terrible as lack of friends to be the reason why the Yondaime's legacy ends up obliterating the village he had given his life for.

"This meeting is adjourned. I will call on some of you at a later time when I have made my decision," the Sandaime Hokage declared, walking out of the room.

Naruto rubbed his eyes as he shifted into a sitting position. He looked around and quickly took note of the unfamiliar environment. Instead of the usual brick-walled room enveloped in darkness, he found himself bounded by four white walls and a ceiling that possessed several electric light bulbs. The blond quickly jumped out of his bed and slipped into his defensive taijutsu stance when he realized the situation he was in. He remembered fighting two Konoha ANBU operatives before one of them managed to capture him with a _Water Prison jutsu_. That was all he remembered. He directed one palm at the wall and blasted chakra from it. The red beam of chakra struck the wall but instead of drilling a hole in it like it usually does, the chakra beam merely gave the wall a red glow at where it struck.

"Chakra absorbing walls," a voice said. Naruto jerked his head around and found no one. He growled in anger.

A body suddenly materialized. It was Jiraiya of the Sannin. Naruto had heard of the man multiple times from Orochimaru. Sometimes, it would be from the snake Sannin speaking to him directly about the man. Others, it would be in frustration about Jiraiya's infiltration of his hideouts. Naruto understood that the man standing in front of him was way above his league. He also knew that Jiraiya won't harm him seeing that he already had multiple chances to. Naruto decided to lay back down on his bed.

"What's your name?" The Sannin asked. He wanted to know what Orochimaru had named the boy.

"Naruto," the blond answered. He didn't see the harm in providing the information. Jiraiya was surprised at this but his face betrayed no hint. It was bold of the snake to continue using the boy's given name. His former teammate usually renames all his subjects to cut off their previous ties. However, given the situation Naruto was in, he had no ties to cut off.

"Do you know who I am?"

"You are Jiraiya of the Sannin," Naruto answered emotionlessly.

"Do you know where you are?"

"Konoha, I think. Probably since you are a shinobi loyal to the village and I was captured by Itachi Uchiha and Kakashi Hatake."

"I am going to tell you that we are not here to hurt you." Jiraiya decided to get to the point.

"I know. You could have done whatever you wanted when I was unconscious or even now. You are way above what I can handle. However, I don't see why you wouldn't harm me. Its not like father will come rescue me." Naruto continued staring at the ceiling. He knew the type of person his 'father' was. The Sannin was willing to cut losses unless there was a wide-open opportunity presented.

"Father?" Jiraiya was curious about the whole concept of Orochimaru claiming to be Naruto's father. By understanding more of it, he can server that thought and inform the boy of his true heritage.

"Yes. He told me that he created me."

"Bullshit," Jiraiya called. Naruto turned his head and looked at the Sannin. "Orochimaru can't create you. He's not god. The only way is to procreate through you know… that way." Naruto gave him a questioning, confused look. For someone who had established himself as a renowned pornography author, Jiraiya had a hard time talking about it to a boy.

"Look, if he is your father, then who is your mother?"

"I don't have a mother. Not that I know of." Naruto had never questioned Orochimaru's claim but what the Toad Sage was insinuating did make sense.

"If he was your father, then he should look like you," Jiraiya stated after a couple minutes of silence. He knew that the boy was thinking hardly about what his heritage. This was a good sign. Orochimaru's grip over the blond will fail if Naruto was offered proper logic alongside evidence.

"Jiraiya-sama, the Hokage-sama requests your presence," a voice echoed from the white walls.

"Think about it, kid," Jiraiya said before his body flickered and exited the room.

"Kakashi. What rank do you consider yourself to be?" The Sandaime Hokage asked. The silver-haired shinobi had never really thought about it.

"I am listed as an A-rank shinobi in the bingo book," Kakashi replied.

"I am aware of that but do you think you could reach S-rank?" Sarutobi asked. Kakashi was a bit surprised at the Hokage's question. The Copycat ninja thought the Hokage was insinuating militarization but it was unlike him to do so.

"Probably. I haven't trained since I entered the ANBU which was like eight years ago. I have a large arsenal of jutsus. If I refine them and incorporate them into my fighting style along with physical training, I guess I could."

Before the two could continue with their conversation, Jiraiya arrived. As usual, he entered the Hokage's office through the open window. He entered to find that Kakashi Hatake was already there with his former sensei.

"What is this all about, Sarutobi-sensei?" Jiraiya asked. He was never really one to wait and be told.

"As Shikaku-san had stated before, we need to inform the boy of his true heritage for him to question his loyalty to Orochimaru and eventually break away from him. Who better to do this then his father's sensei and student. I intend on sending you two with Naruto on a trip. Orochimaru has spies in the village. The last thing I want is for him to get Naruto back. Furthermore, the trip will also serve as a training trip for Kakashi." Jiraiya raised an eyebrow at this.

"Sarutobi-sensei, Kakashi is an extremely capable shinobi. I don't see how I can train him." Jiraiya respected the Copycat shinobi. He was still young but could hold his own against the Toad Sage if needed.

"I went over our shinobi database. There has been a strong decline in the number of active S-rank shinobi. Furthermore, other villages such as Kumo and Iwa are currently seeing a rise in the number of S-ranks. Its only a matter of time before they realize that we are falling behind and try to take advantage of that. Besides, I intend on Kakashi being Naruto's Jonin team leader should he enroll in the academy and graduate. There will be times when Orochimaru will attempt to retrieve the boy. We need Kakashi to be able to protect the boy from such acts," the Sandaime explained.

"I see… had Inoichi-san planted the seed inside Naruto?" Jiraiya asked. He wanted to know all there is before he starts to ponder his course of action.

"He already did. Now, when Naruto sees Minato-kun's image, he will start drawing connections. I suggest you leave immediately. The longer Naruto remains in the village, the more likely it is that we draw unwanted attention. This is an S-rank mission. You will not return until the boy is free of Orochimaru's grip and loyal to Konoha. You are both dismissed" Jiraiya and Kakashi nodded and disappeared.

"The will of fire that you have kindled for your son will not die, Minato-kun," Sarutobi thought, looking at the Yondaime's face sculpted on the side of the mountain.

Orochimaru hissed in pain and anger. It had been three days since his encounter with his former teammate and the Konoha ANBU, which left him in a terribly injured state. While he had managed to avoid taking the majority of the damage from their attacks, he still sustained several wounds. To make it worse, they had snatched his most powerful weapon from him. He had spent the better part of the decade honing the boy into the ultimate shinobi and now, Konoha had stolen his hard work.

"Have you located Naruto?" Orochimaru grunted as a man dressed in the standard Oto shinobi attire entered his chambers.

"Negative, Orochimaru-sama. It seems that the Sandaime Hokage has been keeping the circle airtight regarding the boy."

Orochimaru lashed out in anger with his _Hidden Shadow Snake Hands jutsu_ , killing the Oto ninja.

"Fucking useless tools."

Anko Mitarashi looked forward to the boy the Hokage had requested her to meet and talk to. She didn't know much about him except for the fact that he was brought back from a recent ANBU raid and was Orochimaru's secret weapon. She swallowed the last of her dango and tossed the stick away; it stabbed a nearby tree. She entered the ANBU facility where the Hokage had said the boy was held.

"Name and state your purpose" A man asked. Despite being a receptionist, the man was disguised by an ANBU mask while armed with standard ANBU armor.

Anko rolled her eyes in irritation. There were only a handful of people that didn't know her and they lived under rocks. She knew it was regulation but being questioned in such a way made her feel all the effort she had put into making herself known was a waste. She decided it will be quicker if she complied. "Anko Mitarashi. I am here for captive zero dash zero on orders of Sandaime-sama."

"There is no such captive, Mitrashi-san," the man replied. "Right this way please," he directed, motioning her into a hallway. Whoever this boy is, he must be really special to be kept off the books. The man led her down a hall and into a room guarded by two more ANBU operatives. The room was empty inside.

"You have five minutes. Stand right there, please" the man requested, pointing at a spot on the floor. Anko walked over and waited. The man formed a hand sign and channeled chakra. Anko disappeared in a puff of smoke.

She found herself in a room so white that it felt surreal. Somewhere in the middle was a bed and a a young blond boy. She assumed that he was the mission seeing as he was the only person in the room.

"Who are you?" he asked, giving him a questioning look as he studied her.

"I heard that you were found in Orochimaru-sensei's hideout. What did he want with you?" She asked, ignoring the boy's question. She was barely told anything from the Hokage and she intends to use this opportunity to find out all she can.

"Orochimaru-sensei?" Naruto fixated. The woman in the room was either trying to fish out information he didn't have or she really was the snake Sannin's student. Either way, he had to be careful. She could be here to rescue him from captivity.

"Yeah. He was my Jonin team leader when I graduated from the ninja academy," she explained. Now that I have told you how I am associated to him, its your turn to tell me."

"He's my fa-. He's been training me for as long as I can remember." The boy had been thinking about Orochimaru's relation to him and didn't want to say anything unless he was sure.

"I see… he's been going for even younger ones I see. What types of experiment did he do on you?"

"Experiments? He didn't do anything to me besides training."

"So you mean to tell me that he didn't mark any part of your bodies, inject you with weird chemicals, etc?" Naruto nodded to this. "But he abandoned you… None of this makes sense."

"He didn't abandon me. I was captured by Konoha shinobi." Anko noted how he didn't include her in 'Konoha shinobi'.

"You want to know something?" She asked. When Naruto nodded in response, she said, "he abandoned me. He told me that I no longer served my purpose and then he left."

Naruto decided not to say anything. If he kept advertising his loyalty to Orochimaru, they would continue to coop him up in the room.

"You probably hate Konoha, kid. It would be like Orochimaru-sensei to drill that hatred into you. But if you open yourself up to it and its people, there would be no other place you would rather die for. Trust me, I know," Anko said. She wasn't going to get anything out of the boy. He had been testing her to see if she was his way out. Seeing that she wasn't, he didn't feel much use to talking to her.

"Time is up," a voice called out.

"Well, I am gonna go now. Later, kid." Anko said before disappearing.

"Did you think about what I had told you?" Jiraiya asked a few hours later from Anko's visit.

"About how Orochimaru-sama isn't my father? Yeah I did," Naruto replied in a soft voice. While his loyalty to Orochimaru is still solid, Naruto is unsure of whether or not the Sannin was his father.

"And?" Jiraiya asked.

"Let's say you are right. Who are my parents then?"

"I'll tell you later. Get dressed. We are hitting the road." Jiraiya tossed the boy a storage scroll.

"Where are we going? Aren't you afraid that I will run away?"

"You will find out later and nope. You want information. I have them. Besides, you can't outrun me and you know it." The Sannin was right. He wanted to hear what these Konoha shinobi had to say first. If it meant sticking around for a while, then that's what he is going to do. Besides, what other choice did he have.

Naruto unsealed the scroll and found a set of black long sleeved shirt and pants with a black cloak with orange stripes dashing around. He undressed himself and slid into his new clothes, which somehow fit almost perfectly.

"Lets go!" Jiraiya exclaimed. He grabbed the boy and the two left the room.

The Sannin, carrying Naruto, darted across the rooftops under the cover of nighttime and arrived at the gate and found Kakashi waiting for him. He dropped the boy and together the three left the village.

 **Author's note: I know its been a week but school stuff is bothersome. I promise that I will try to update on a weekly basis. Please provide feedback, I really, really, really appreciate them. I want to improve and make this story more enjoyable for everyone.**


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

"You've gotten a lot faster, Kakashi-kun," Jiraiya said as he blocked a strike from the silver haired shinobi.

"You've been training me non-stop laboriously for the past two years," Kakashi replied as he deflected a punch aimed at his belly by the Toad Sage.

Jiraiya grinned. The Copycat ninja was easily S-rank now and with a few more years of training, he could possibly take on a Sannin and win. "With each passing generation comes even more talented shinobi, isn't that right Minato-kun," Jiraiya wondered.

They exchanged several blows and kicks before breaking apart. Kakashi vanished and appeared behind Jiraiya. Sensing an attack from the back, the Sannin ducked to evade a kick and threw a punch at the younger shinobi's thigh since an opening presented itself. However, Kakashi dropped his other leg to the ground and used the spinning momentum to deliver a reverse roundhouse kick with the leg Jiraiya had been aiming for. The Toad Sage blocked the attack with his forearm and used the contact to throw a jab at Kakashi's thigh. He lunged forward to land another strike at the chest but the silver haired shinobi leapt backwards to reset the fight, not allowing the more experienced Jiraiya to snowball with his momentum.

"Do I have to come at you again?" Kakashi asked monotonely.

"Sure, why not?" Jiraiya replied with a grin.

"Why don't you come at me for a change?" Kakashi suggested.

Jiraiya smirked and darted forward at the younger ninja. His lunging form slipped into thrust kick. Kakashi's eyes widened as he marveled at the speed and power of the strike as he barely sidestepped it. While Jiraiya still had his leg extended, Kakashi threw a kick of his own at the Toad Sage's chest. Jiraiya caught it but he was sent stumbling backward from the force. Kakashi exploited this and aimed a side kick which Jiraiya flailingly deflected. The silver haired ninja glided behind the Sannin and launched a barrage of kicks and punches. After Kakashi landed the first two, Jiraiya managed to turn and start blocking him. The exchange came to an end as Jiraiya spotted an opening and sent Kakashi flying away with a kick.

"One of these days, I am going to win. I almost had you this time," Kakashi said, dusting himself off.

"Yeah, one of these days. I bet you will outclass me in terms of skill in a few years," Jiraiya replied. He turned his head towards the younger of his two companion.

The blond had grown over the course of two years now. His height increased by several inches as a result of an organic diet that Orochimaru had seemed to neglect for the boy. His muscles became more defined as the baby fat was skimmed away.

"How is fuinjutsu practice going?" Jiraiya asked.

"You mean how is drawing going? I don't know. Why don't you tell me how its going?" Naruto replied, irritated. "I've been sitting at this one spot without standing for four hours. FOUR HOURS! Why do you two always get to do the fun stuff?"

"Cause sparring is for adults and 'drawing' is for little babies like you," Kakashi replied with an eye smile.

"Please. Remember that time I took on both you and Itachi and almost won? A little baby almost kicked your ass."

Jiraiya grinned. Both of his students have crawled out of the thick reserved shell. Naruto, especially, had felt more and more at ease around them two even though he sometimes looks around to see if there would be a familiar face from his past. He's been checking around a lot less frequently now with only once or two times a day. The boy's knowledge on his true heritage played a large role in his development as Shikaku and Sandaime Hokage had predicted. While he had trouble believing it at first, when Jiraiya showed him a picture of Team Jiraiya, the boy almost instantly believed him. It was either the trigger that Inoichi had implanted into the boy or the similarity in appearance or maybe both. The boy's curiosity of the Yondaime's feats were satiated by Jiraiya and Kakashi, which eventually led to a more amiable relationship with the two.

"Well, its lunch time. What do we eat?" Jiraiya asked, interrupting the banter between the blond and the silver-haired.

"What's that thing we ate last time? The noodles and soup? The best food ever?" Naruto called out, hopeful.

"Ramen? I don't see why not." Kakashi commented, shrugging.

"Alright then. Its chow time!" Jiraiya yelled as the three headed back into town.

"Welcome! What can I get you three this time?" A man greeted as the trio walked into his ramen bar.

"I'll have three of those pork miso ramen, please." Naruto said loudly.

"Give me one of those chicken miso ramen" Kakashi added.

"A plain miso ramen for me please" Jiraiya ordered.

"Alright, coming right up!" The man said as he started cooking.

"So, Jiraiya-sensei, what do we work on after this?" Naruto asked.

"I was thinking that you continue fuinjutsu." Naruto glared at him.

"Seriously? I just spent the whole morning doing that stuff."

"It's an extremely useful skill."

"I want to do something else!"

"Fine…"Jiraiya sighed. A few seconds later, his face twisted into a smirk. "Meditation!" he yelled. At this, Naruto's face hit the top of the table flatly. While Jiraiya's suggestion for the boy to meditate may seem as a way of angering the boy, it had a hidden purpose. The Toad Sage decided that it was time for Naruto to finally be aware of the beast that resided within him. The presence of Kakashi and the Sharingan should be able to stop things from spinning out of control too much.

Three bowls of pork miso ramen were placed before Naruto and he started devouring them rapidly.

After their lunch, the trio headed back to their makeshift training area in a clearing on the outskirts of the town they were currently staying at.

"Sit down over there," Jiraiya instructed. Naruto dragged himself over the place and sat meditation style.

"Why do I even have to do this?" The blond questioned.

"Patience and focus are a shinobi's two greatest tools. Sometimes you need to be anchored to a spot for weeks gathering intel. A shinobi that can't stay as still as water is as good as dead out in the field," Jiraiya replied. Naruto gave out a sound of surrender and did as instructed.

"This is so boring!" He yelled out after a couple minutes. Jiraiya grinned at this and told the boy to resume.

'Sitting in one place is not my thing. That old pervert should know that by now,' Naruto growled mentally.

"Empty your thoughts, Naruto. Focus on your breath," the Toad Sage adviced. Naruto decided to give it a try. Little by little, he felt himself receding into the back of his mind. His external senses were dimming slowly.

Naruto found himself face to face with a glowing pair of demonic red eyes piercing into him from the shadows.

"Look who has finally come to visit me now," the beast roared.

"Who are you?" Naruto asked, unfazed.

"I am the source of your strength. I am known as the Kyubi and you are my host." A fox with ninetails stepped out of the shadows and revealed itself. It was several times bigger than Naruto but no where the size it should be.

"I heard about you. I thought you would be bigger. They said that you were as big as mountains and could summon tsunamis by whipping your tails," Naruto stated.

"I was. But that bastard snake screwed up your seal. Now my chakra is infused with you. All that remains is my spirit." The Kyubi said as it circled around Naruto.

"What do you mean? I thought you were the chakra." Naruto was perplexed. Jiraiya and Kakashi had told him about the Kyubi and how the Yondaime died fighting it. They had said that the Kyubi was simply living chakra.

"You are partly correct. However, you should know that chakra is drawn from a living being's life force. I was basically a spirit that was infused with chakra. Now that you have taken all my chakra, all that remains is my soul." The Kyubi was surprisingly not too hostile towards the boy.

"Does that mean I am as powerful as you were?" Naruto asked, hopefully.

The Kyubi snorted at the boy's question and said "I have to admit that I find you pretty competent for someone of your age. However, you are nowhere my true strength. But through training, you could become as powerful as I was and maybe more."

"Will you teach me?" Naruto asked.

"Hm… did you know why I attacked Konohagakure?" it asked. Naruto shook his head.

"I was placed under a strong genjutsu by a wielder of Sharingan. The man wore a mask. I will teach you if you will exact my vengeance on him."

"I see…" Naruto said. He didn't know who this man was but he understood how potent the Sharingan was. During his encounter with Itachi and Kakashi in Orochimaru's hideout, Naruto found his unpredictable fighting style being adapted to within minutes by the Sharingan users. If the Kyubi found itself under the man's control, then he would be a worthy opponent for the blond to test himself against.

"Well?" the Kyubi asked, interrupting Naruto's thoughts.

"I will," Naruto replied. The Kyubi grinned at this.

"Don't let your two escorts know about it yet." The Kyubi turned to leave and started walking.

"What's your name?" Naruto asked.

"Kurama."

Naruto opened his eyes and found Jiraiya and Kakashi eyeing him carefully.

"What? I told you it was boring," Naruto said, jumping from his spot. Jiraiya and Kakashi shook off their disappointment and resumed with their trainings.

While he was not actively a shinobi in Konoha's military ranks, Jiraiya found himself being entrusted with carrying out diplomatic activities on behalf of Konoha. The Sandaime Hokage had sent him a missive detailing his mission. He was to travel to Sunagakure and check up on how the ally village was holding up their end of the alliance. It had been a while since the Sandaime Hokage was last contacted by them. There had been a sharp decline in joint missions over the past couple years and the Hokage was worried that Suna might be planning something against them as Konoha is not in the best condition.

"Jiraiya of the Sannin and Kakashi Hatake of the Sharingan. State your intentions of travelling to Sunagakure?" Three masked shinobi rose up from the sand in front of the trio. They wore attire similar to that of Konoha's ANBU operatives with the exception of the mask. Their faces with the exception of the eyes were covered by cloth instead.

"Who said we were going to Sunagakure?" Jiraiya said, jokingly. They did not laugh and seemed to be more anxious. They knew that they would not survive in a clash against the two legendary shinobi. With the inclusion of the third member who radiated an aura of power, they won't even stand a chance.

"We are here on behalf of Hokage-sama," Jiraiya said in a serious tone. He held out the scroll with the Hokage's seal that granted him permission. One of the ANBU took it and reviewed it.

"I see. You may go on ahead," the ANBU said. The three of them then retreated back into the sand.

Upon arriving at the village, the trio were whisked away to the Kazekage's office. Similar to the Hokage's attire, the Kazekage's ceremonial outfit was also a cloak that covered from head to toe with the hat painted blue in the areas where the Hokage's was red.

"Jiraiya-san, what can Sunagakure do for Konoha?" The Kazekage asked.

"Excuse me, Kazekage-sama but my companions are a bit worn out from the travel. Can they go find room accommodations while we speak?" Jiraiya asked, motioning towards Kakashi and Naruto.

"I see. Understandable. Hiro will escort you the diplomats' residence," the Kazekage replied. A man dressed in Suna Jonin uniform opened the door. Naruto, Kakashi left with him.

"Shall we begin, Jiraiya-san?" The Kazekage asked.

"Hokage-sama wanted to know if Suna has any misgivings about our alliance," Jiraiya answered.

"Why would we? Our alliance has been as strong as it always was."

"Given the decline in joint missions as well as the absence of contact in the past few years-" Jiraiya said before he was interrupted.

"I assure you, Jiraiya-san that we have no misgivings of our alliance. Please relay my message to the Hokage." The Kazekage stood up and turned away from Jiraiya and faced the window overlooking his village.

"It has been quite peaceful here for a while now and there is no need for a joint mission. If we require your assistance, we will let Konoha know, Jiraiya-san. Is that all?"

"Yes, Kazekage-sama," Jiraiya replied. The Kazekage motioned towards one of his shinobi to escort Jiraiya away.

While he had told the Kazekage that they were here to check up on the alliance, Jiraiya had another mission: to observe first hand Suna's military strength and the status of their jinchuriki. He had entrusted Naruto with the latter while he and Kakashi had to somehow gather intel. There was no doubt that Suna had their best watching them.

Naruto walked around the village. All there was is sand and buildings made of sand. There were people passing along but no where as near as Konoha. There were several kids playing in the street. However, after a few minutes, they scattered away. Naruto felt a strong chakra source walking nearby. He looked around and saw a red haired boy with the character 'love' printed on his forehead.

"Hey, Kurama. Is that the Ichibi's jinchuriki?" Naruto asked. Over the past year, Naruto had established a working relationship with the Kyubi and was learning from the beast covertly. On one of those secret training sessions, he was discovered by Kakashi and was forced to reveal the truth. Since then, Naruto had been progressing well with using his special trait.

"Yeah. That boy possesses the largest chakra pool by far in this village. Besides, that sand is definitely Shukaku's trademark." The fox replied.

"Should I go talk to him or will that instigate him to kill me?" Naruto asked.

"Do whatever. Beat him down if he does try to attack you." The Kyubi replied.

Naruto decided to approach the boy and greet him. When the blond was several meters away, the red haired boy started to control the sand to spin around him as a protective measure.

"Hello," Naruto greeted, smiling. The boy's eyes slightly widened in surprise. No one has ever bothered to talk him with the exception of his siblings, father, and supervisor.

"What's your name?" Naruto asked. The sand started to spin a bit faster.

"Gaara." The boy replied after several seconds.

"Nice to meet you Gaara-san. I am Naruto." The blond stuck out his hand, inviting Gaara for a handshake.

"What do you want?" Gaara asked.

A blond girl and a brown-haired boy had now appeared in the scene. The girl's face contorted into terror as she anticipated what would happen next. The blond that was standing in front of Gaara had no idea what he was getting himself into.

"Gaara, no! Please!" She cried. The redhead glared at her. His eyes returned back to Naruto. After several seconds, he turned and walked away, the sandstorm around him dying out.

"Um… okay… that was kind of awkward…" Naruto said.

"You aren't from around here, are you?" The blond girl asked.

"No… How did you know?"

"Nevermind. You could have gotten yourself killed."

"Why? What's your name?"

"Temari, and because you were stupid enough to not run from Gaara."

"Why should I? I know he doesn't look the friendliest of people but he wouldn't just kill for no reason. Would he?"

"Just leave it. Where are you from? What's your name?"

"I am Naruto. I don't know where I am from. I travel around." Temari squinted her eyes suspiciously at this.

"Have you ever been to Suna before?"

"Nope. What restaurants are good here? I am starving."

"Follow me. That's my brother Kankuro, by the way." The blond girl gestured the boy who was watching from afar. She hasn't socialized with anyone outside of her family for a long time now. They feared her as she was the daughter of the Kazekage. This boy, however, did not even if its out of his lack of awareness to her heritage.

Naruto followed Temari and her brother to a small diner.

"Welcome, Temari-sama and Kankuro-sama," a man called out. He seemed to be the owner of the establishment.

Despite it's size, it served a reasonable amount of people. The three took the table in the corner. A girl passed out the menu written on a thin slab of stone.

"What's good?" Naruto asked after running through the list. The food options seem absurd to him. Kankuro smiled at the blond's expression.

"The camel meat is pretty good. The camel fried rice for me, please," Kankuro said.

"Hm… I'll have the seafood platter." Temari handed the girl her stone slab.

"You have seafood here?" Naruto asked, taken back.

"This is the only place in the whole of Suna that does." The blond girl replied.

"Oh. I guess I'll have what he's having," Naruto said. The girl nodded and retrieved the menus.

"Why did that man refer to you guys as sama?" Naruto questioned. Temari sighed at this; her hope of being treated as an ordinary person is now vanquished.

"Because we are the children of Kazekage-sama," Kankuro replied. His sister gave him a glance of anger before looking at Naruto.

"Oh… that's cool!" Naruto had been instructed to not tell anyone about his heritage.

"People think so…" Temari whispered, looking down.

"I bet you guys are shinobis in training right?"

"You could say that. I'm the best there is here!" Kankuro laughed. Naruto smiled at him.

"What did you mean earlier when you said Gaara could have killed me?" The red-eyed blond asked, returning to his mission. The duo flinched at the question.

"People think he's a monster and from isolating him, he began to act as one. He kills people just because he can," Temari answered, guiltily.

"A monster? Why?" Naruto had thought that the people would be grateful towards their jinchuriki but he was wrong.

"I don't know. I guess its something that happened when we were young and the death of his caretaker, Yashamaru. He has killed children and shinobi alike. Even Jonins have trouble against him."

The waitress arrived and placed their dishes in front of them.

"That smells good!" Naruto said in awe. He picked up a spoon and started wolfing it down. Temari and Kankuro watched him in disbelief of his lack of manners.

"What?" He asked as he caught them staring. They didn't say anything and started eating.

"Temari-sama, Kankuro-sama, Kazekage-sama orders you to come home immediately," a Suna jonin said, entering the diner. The siblings finished their meal, paid, and got up.

"Bye, Naruto-san. I hope we meet again," Temari said as she exited with her brother.

Naruto decided to return back to his room at the diplomats' residence and inform Kakashi and Jiraiya.

"Ah, Naruto. Come on, get your stuff. We are leaving." Jiraiya said, waving at the boy.

"What? Already? We just got here!"

"The Kazekage feels that your recent encounter with Gaara might leave you dead and turn this into an international incident that would be terrible for both Konoha and Suna," Jiraiya stated, tossing Naruto a storage scroll. Naruto sighed and caught it.

"Back to road again," Naruto murmured as he and his companions left the residence and the village.


End file.
